Negotiations are continuing with the Volkswagen Group which has yet to show any willingness to provide appropriate compensation to European consumers who fell victim to the diesel emissions scandal where vehicles were fitted with cheat devices, the European Commission announced on Tuesday 7 February.
The meeting on that same day between European Justice and Consumers Commissioner Vera Jourova and VW Chief Executive Matthias Müller did not bring any progress.
“Mr. Müller has committed to inform the Commission regularly on the progress of the repairs, so it can monitor the repair process closely. However, I insisted again that Volkswagen should offer a bonus in kind to its European customers”, stated the commissioner in a press release.
Volkswagen had already promised to recall the vehicles affected before the end of the year and to repair them by the autumn but the Commission wanted the car manufacturer voluntarily to offer compensation to European consumers and to buy back vehicles where owners could not be assured of a fair price if they were to sell before the repair was carried out (see EUROPE 11653). Europeans are still being treated differently from American consumers, who have received settlements.
Jourova will meet national consumer authorities “in the coming weeks to further discuss the situation of the repair process”, the Commission has indicated. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)